Ocotober 17? I think Hong Kong and Jet Lag

Hi all,

So we survived another day of serious jet lag... Paul looked up on the internet in the middle of the night all about jet lag and it suggests that it takes one day to recover for every hour of time change... which means from Ontario time, it we will take half a month to recover. We are more optimistic than that. Kate and Mira were both suffering yesterday. Mira looked like she was ill and Kate, well, Kate just slept on the subway or in our arms - heavy kid. Paul and I experience this wierd wave of fatigue that washes over us and then fades away. Needless to say, I haven't been out running yet.

So October 17? I think... We had to ask what day it was to start off our day.

We took the very clean subway to a gondola on Landau Island on this morning to see the world's largest sitting Budha. Kate was singing BBBBBBBBBudha on the way. Better than the music of Sound of Music I guess. You can see how happy Kate is in the photo.

MTR Tswen West Station and our intrepid travellers...

The gondola was a bit of a challenge for me given my fondness for heights and swinging boxes held on to cables by a bolt. But it was all good. It goes from on point on the Island to the village where the Po Lin Budha and monastery is located. It spans a large river where we got to see the fish folk wading into the water with the styrofoam boxes. They put their catch in these and send them to the market, one of which is beside our hotel. It looks like very cold hard work.

Tswen Fish Market, Hong Kong.

The day wasn't too clear as it hasn't been since we arrived but the sight was still impressive. The Budha is huge. It is 34 metres tall and weighs 240 tons. The biggest part.. all the steps. Kate wasn't too keen to climb up the 286 steps. Mira is always game and headed up. It wasn't long before Paul and Kate had a competition to go up the steps by twos and we all made it up in great time. I was thinking about my CPR recert... with lots of less than athletic folk bending over to breathe to make it to the top. Once at the top, the trees were beautiful and we could hear the monks from the monastery chanting. It has a bit of a carnival atmosphere but it was peaceful and beautiful too.

We climbed down to check out the temple. It was spectacular. Every square inch is covered in detailed carving, painting or imagery. Gold, red paint, dragons... The incense was very intense. Mira starts to giggle before Kate gets a whiff any odor because she knows Kate will make some comment and cover her nose.

We ate at the monastery... well, I ate, Paul and Mira nibbled and Kate sat there with a piece of noodle in her mouth that she eventually spat out - very princess like. The meal cost less than our Starbucks coffee.. Hong Kong is very western you know.

Here are the royal Empresses now...

En route home, we found in an outlet mall a very western mall. I broke down and bought the kids Cheerios and peanut butter and honey. The kids and Paul are all in the room enjoying them now. At least I will know that Kate and Mira have eaten today.

Across from our hotel is a fabulous park that has basketball, soccer, playground, running track, gateball (like croquet), playing boards, seniors' activity centres etc... all out doors. The park is decorated for the upcoming East Asian Games in Early December and for the Lantern Festival from the beginning of Octoboer. I have added on pic.

Let me know what you'all think of my ramblings. ttfn. sharon